Jason P. Steed
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profsteed.bsky.social
Jason P. Steed
@profsteed.bsky.social
10K followers 730 following 2.5K posts
was @5thCircAppeals at The Bad Place • former English prof & practicing appellate lawyer, now Assist Prof @ UToledo Law • he/him • all the disclaimers
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profsteed.bsky.social
That was pass interference.
January 9, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
atrupar.com
"It would be hard, but not impossible, to try the ICE shooter on state charges and obtain a state-law conviction that Trump couldn’t wipe away. It might seem like the longest shot in the world, but honestly, we have to try something, anything, to stop this — not just in Minnesota, but everywhere."
Renee Good's killer can and must be prosecuted
Doing nothing is not an option.
www.publicnotice.co
January 8, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
charlesgaba.com
🎉 WOOT! House passes *clean* 3-yr enhanced #ACA tax credit bill w/17 GOP joining every Dem!

(updating...)

acasignups.net/26/01/08/bre...
BREAKING: House passes clean 3-yr extension of enhanced ACA tax credits
As expected, just moments ago the House of Representatives voted to extend the enhanced ACA tax credits for another 3 years, through the end of 2018, with no strings attached...with a whopping 17 Hous...
acasignups.net
January 8, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
walterolson.bsky.social
Orin Kerr recalls a 2011 article in which people were asked to view a protest video and say whether the protesters were behaving lawfully. It was an experiment: their reading of lawfulness turned out to depend greatly on whether the protesters were said to be on their or the other side.
The Minnesota ICE Videos and "They Saw A Protest"
One explanation for the different reactions.
reason.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
chrislhayes.bsky.social
Wait wait wait, while Americans have to pay hundreds of billions of dollars in new tariffs, Trump is going send over $10,000 to each person in *Greenland*?????????

This is a joke right ?

www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Exclusive: Trump administration mulls payments to sway Greenlanders to join US
U.S. officials have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States, according to four sources famil...
www.reuters.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
kjephd.bsky.social
The Trumpists long ago forfeited any presumption of reliability. Their statements about events come from a fever-dream nightmare world that bears no resemblance to actual reality
andybcampbell.bsky.social Andy Campbell @andybcampbell.bsky.social · 8d
DHS claims the Portland shooting victims "weaponized" their car against agents, like in Minneapolis.

Also claimed one is a "Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the Tren de Aragua prostitution ring," but didn't ID the person or provide further details.

Story ongoing

www.ms.now/news/shootin...
Federal agents shoot 2 in Oregon, further raising tensions over national immigration actions
The Department of Homeland Security suggested agents were tracking a member of a Venezuelan prostitution ring when the shooting occurred.
www.ms.now
January 9, 2026 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
NEW: Data released by ICE shows that virtually the entire growth of detention in the last few months has been among people with no criminal record at all - no prior convictions (no matter how minor) and no pending criminal charges.
Chart showing "Detention Population, Among Those Arrested in the interior, by Criminal Record, May 2019 through January 27, 2026. There are three lines on the graph: prior conviction, pending criminal charges, and no criminal record. from 2019 through January 2025, "prior conviction" is by far the highest, followed by pending charges much lower down and "no criminal record" the lowest. During the Biden admin, very few people arrested by ICE in the interior and detained had no criminal record. Beginning in January 2025, all three lines jump, but the highest spike is among those with no criminal records. By September, that has become the single largest. Since that point, there are now thousands more people in detention with no criminal record than people with prior convictions.
January 9, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
mollyknight.bsky.social
Clear-eyed, fact-based, and written to explain to normies. No “both sidesing.” No “Trump officials disagree.”
No gaslighting that what we can see with our own eyes might not be true.

This is journalism. Well done, @people.com
= People SUBSCRIBE 8 Renee Good Had Just Dropped 6-Year-Old Off at School When She Encountered ICE. Soon Her Partner Was Crying, 'They Just Shot My Wife' Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, shortly after the agency began large-scale immigration raids in the city By Greta Bjornson | Published on January 8, 2026 04:44PM EST SUBSCRIBE Donald Trump Says 'My Own Morality' Is 'the Only Thing That Can Stop Me' from World Dominance: 'I Don't Need International Law' The president doubled down on his plans to take military action in Latin America, annex Greenland and more in a revealing new interview By Meredith Kile Published on January 8, 2026 05:13PM EST Elon Musk Shares Startling Post Endorsing 'White Solidarity' The former White House adviser and Tesla CEO shared a shocking X post on Jan. 8 that stoked fear about repercussions if White men become a minority By Meredith Kile Published on January 8, 2026 05:36PM
January 8, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
jaywillis.net
I am trying to write a newsletter about James Ho's latest desperate, sweaty law review article, but this thing is so weird and incoherent I'm having trouble pinning it down. It's like reading a Tumblr written by Antonin Scala on quaaludes journals.law.harvard.edu/jlpp/wp-cont...
V. PRINCIPLES OF JUDICIAL SELECTION Now, I do think it’s possible that, in the coming months, the judiciary will make a turn for the better—to more consistently and faithfully apply our written Constitution, rather than a woke Constitution. That’s because, as 2025 has unfolded, we’ve seen an increasing confidence in our Constitution and an increasing backlash against wokeness.39 So, for those of us who are upset over fair-weather originalism, the good news is that the weather may be getting better. But even the good news strikes me as still bad news. Because the quality of the judiciary shouldn’t have to turn on the quality of the weather. And because we all know that, as night follows day, the weather will turn back again someday. 40 If I have any real good news to share, it’s this: Arrogance in the judiciary isn’t inevitable. Before I took the bench, I spent over fifteen years participating in one way or another in the judicial selection process—first, as a lawyer at the Justice Department and then on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and again later as the vice-chair of the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee in Texas. That experience taught me three basic principles of judicial selection. First, I think of the advice that Moses got about selecting good judges. The Book of Exodus tells us to choose “trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain.”41 In other words, pick people you can trust to rule honestly, based on the law, and only the law. Ruling based on who’s favored or disfavored by cultural elites is most certainly awarding dishonest gain. Second, consider the advice that Paul gave in his first epistle to Timothy about choosing a good leader. Don’t pick “a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.”42 Instead, recall what was done when it was time to replace Judas among the 12 disciples. As the Book of Acts put it, “choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time.”43 In other w not come to be served, but to serve.”44 In other words, pick people who will use power, not to serve themselves, but to serve others. People who are willing to be a judge—not people who are desperate to be a judge. People whose goal isn’t to get onto a bench, but to get into heaven. 45 Our judiciary would be stronger if we didn’t just talk about these principles, but actually followed them, in every case. And I do mean all three principles. If you’re able to recite the correct vision of the judge’s role, well, that’s certainly important. But any reasonably smart person can fake an interview. If we’re granting life tenure, then we deserve a lifelong record of commitment to the Constitution—even, and indeed especially, when the result is unpopular. Moreover, correctness and commitment are necessary, but insufficient. We should also demand people of humility, with a demonstrated devotion to service over self, if we’re going to have any confidence that a judge will stand against the tide, stand up to the mob, and withstand the seductions and pressures of the cultural elite. CONCLUSION My hope is that judicial supremacy will ultimately prove to be self-defeating—that the harder its proponents push, the more likely they’ll fail. I recently criticized the Supreme Court for treating a district court in Texas like a Denny’s. 46 We’ve never expected judges to be available at all hours of the night, 24/7, at the drop of a hat. We don’t do so for ordinary litigants. We shouldn’t do so just for those held as members of Tren de Aragua, either. 47
January 9, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
radleybalko.bsky.social
Yes, JD. Let’s ask them if they think a stay at home mom, avowed Christian, and widow of a veteran deserved to be shot in the face and left to bleed out in her own car after dropping her 6-year-old off at school, for the crime of looking out for her neighbors. Let’s ask everyone running for office.
January 8, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
kyledcheney.bsky.social
JUST IN: Reps. Massie and Khanna say "DOJ cannot be trusted" to release all of the Epstein files, urge a federal judge to appoint an independent overseer to make it happen. khanna.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
January 8, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
jamescdownie.bsky.social
I'm sure all those Republicans who utterly lost their minds about Hunter Biden and Ukraine will be all over this news. (Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/w...)
By Constant Méheut Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan. 8, 2026, 6:45 p.m. ET Ukraine on Thursday awarded a bid to mine a major state-owned lithium deposit to investors that include a billionaire friend of President Trump, as his administration has indicated it is looking for investment opportunities in the war-torn country The decision was made by a Ukrainian government commission, according to two commission members who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the vote. While it still requires formal approval from Ukraine's cabinet of ministers. the officials said the deal was essentially sealed, The winning consortium is closely connected to the Trump administration. It includes Ronald S. Lauder. a cosmetics heir who has known Mr Trump since college and planted the dea in his mind of buying resource-rich Greenland. The other investor is TechMet, an energy firm partly owned by a U.S. government investment agency created during Mr. Trump's first term. The two commission members said the winning consortium outpaced competitors by meeting most bidding rriteria, dismissing any suggestion of favoritism. Still, by cultivating ties with nvestors connected to Mr. Trump and his administration, Kyiv is positioning tself favorably with the Americar eader iust as it seeks its backing ir peace talks with Russia, building on efforts to appeal to his business- oriented mind-set
January 9, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
socialistdogmom.bsky.social
portland city council confirms that two portland residents have been shot by federal agents. at this time, the city council has been told that both victims are alive.
January 8, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
nicolechung.bsky.social
Renee Nicole Good, murdered by ICE, was a prize-winning poet. Here’s that poem.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, mother to a six-year-old boy, was murdered earlier today by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, a few blocks from her home. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune: [An ICE agent] s…
lithub.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
zoetillman.bsky.social
NEW: The business world largely stayed out of the Trump tariff fight -- incl. some fearing "blowback" for opposing the administration. But with a SCOTUS decision looming, the floodgates have opened, with 1,000+ companies so far suing to make sure they get refunds if Trump loses tinyurl.com/2yms7p24
More Than 1,000 Companies Are Suing Trump Over His Tariffs
Companies are flocking to challenge the administration's import taxes in court, after the Supreme Court started asking tough questions
tinyurl.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:51 PM
profsteed.bsky.social
#fascism
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d
Rep. Randy Fine: "It's time for Americans to say 'enough,' and if you get in the way of the government repelling a foreign invasion, you're gonna end up just like that lady did yesterday."
January 8, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
70sbachchan.bsky.social
"This is rather dramatic but lost in the general media turmoil over everything else - 🇺🇸 is withdrawing from 66 international organizations and treaties, most notably everything connected with climate change, democracy and rule of law."
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Withdraws the United States from International Organizations that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
WITHDRAWING FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 3:10 PM
profsteed.bsky.social
#fascism
davidcorn.bsky.social David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 9d
NEW: The ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, the Venezuela attack, the new White House Jan. 6 website—these each convey a powerful & unsettling message from Trump, Miller, and their crew: Violence is ours to use, at home and abroad, to get what we want. Beware.

Please read and share.
The Trump doctrine: Violence is us
The message is clear—be afraid.
www.motherjones.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
johnpfaff.bsky.social
This seems significant: not a FORMER DHS official, but a SENIOR (current) one saying the officer who fired acted counter to training.

This is not an admin that admits mistakes. And they are hanging this guy out to dry on Day One.

I think they know this is bad. Really bad.
The way ICE officers approached the vehicle involved in today's shooting was counter to their training, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told NBC News. The official said ICE officers are trained: — never to approach a vehicle from the front; — to approach vehicles or possibly armed people in a “tactical L” 90-degree angle to prevent injury or cross-fire; — not to shoot at a moving vehicle; — only to use force if there is an immediate risk of serious injury or death. ICE officers are also instructed that firing at a vehicle will not make it stop moving in the direction of the officer.
January 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
unfairuse.bsky.social
"Since the publication of ['Parliamentary America'], the US has moved into “constitutional failure”... Now that the US is beyond crisis and into failure, the nation has no choice but to redesign our institutions when we come out of the spiral. We cannot go back to a system that led to failure."
unlawfulentries.bsky.social Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 9d
Law Prof Maxwell Stearns wrote a timely book called Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy. He advocates a # of reforms.

On the Balkinization blog, one review a day by different people will appear, with Stearns responding last. See my post 👇 here:
January 8, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
radleybalko.bsky.social
A few thoughts on this important NYT analysis:

First, the officer who killed Good is shown running up the *passenger* side of the car seconds before he killed her. He shot her first from the front, then the driver's side. This means he *put himself* in the path of the vehicle when he shot her.
Video: Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
An analysis of footage from three camera angles shows that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire.
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
aselrod.bsky.social
My reaction to the Minneapolis shooting.

It was murder. It’s going to happen again.
ms.now MS NOW @ms.now · 8d
OPINION by Alon Elrod, president and CEO of The Pulaski Institution:

“This moment was always going to come. It is the logical result of Trumpism and MAGA extremism, both in theory and practice.”

READ MORE:
www.ms.now/opinion/ice-...
Opinion | ICE's violence is no accident
Alan Elrod: The killing of a woman by an immigration enforcement officer in Minneapolis was the raw application of Trumpist authoritarianism.
www.ms.now
January 8, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
johnpfaff.bsky.social
So I keep seeing people post this DOJ use of force directive in my replies, and a few comments on it:

1. This isn't "the law," as some have called it, but an internal policy guide. Violating it may have employment implications, but not criminal ones.
1-16.200 - USE OF DEADLY FORCE AND PROHIBITED RESTRAINT TECHNIQUES A. Deadly Force Law enforcement and correctional officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person. Deadly force may not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect. Firearms may not be discharged solely to disable moving vehicles. Specifically, firearms may not be discharged at a moving vehicle unless: (1) a person in the vehicle is threatening the officer or another person with deadly force by means other than the vehicle; or (2) the vehicle is operated in a manner that threatens to cause death or serious physical injury to the officer or others, and no other objectively reasonable means of defense appear to exist, which includes moving out of the path of the vehicle. Firearms may not be discharged from a moving vehicle except in exigent circumstances. In these situations, an officer must have an articulable reason for this use of deadly force.
January 8, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
peterorlowicz.bsky.social
Oh, we're doing "just joking" now, huh? Cc: @profsteed.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Jason P. Steed
athul.acharya.cc
Tom Nichols is left of the median elected Democrat by two standard deviations. Let that sink in.
radiofreetom.bsky.social Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 9d
Better yet, disestablish all of DHS, and undo the nightmarish idiocies that we created in a panic 25 years ago. Reestablish the INS, get rid of ODNI, fix the damage from the Patriot Act, etc.
gailhelt.bsky.social Gail Helt @gailhelt.bsky.social · 9d
For the love of all that is decent and holy: abolish ICE
January 8, 2026 at 7:16 AM